Psalm 111

The good man is happy.

1 Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord: he shall delight exceedingly in his commandments.

2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the righteous shall be blessed.

3 Glory and wealth shall.be in his house: and his justice remaineth for ever and ever.

4 To the righteous a light is risen up in darkness: he is merciful, and compassionate and just.

5 Acceptable is the man that sheweth mercy and lendeth: he shall order his words with judgment:

6 Because he shall not be moved for ever.

7 The just shall be in everlasting remembrance: he shall not fear. the evil hearing. His heart is ready to hope in the Lord:

_ 8 His heart is strengthened, he shall not be moved until he look over his enemies.

9 He hath distributed, he hath given to the poor: his justice remaineth for ever and ever: his horn shall be exalted in glory.

‘10 The wicked shall see, and shall be angry: he shall enash with his teeth, and pine away : the desire of the wicked shall perish.

1 “Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord : he shalt -

delight exceedingly in his commandments.”

In order to induce all to lead a pious life, the prophet proves, by various arguments, the happiness of bin who fears the Lord.; but as it is not every sort of fear that renders a man happy, he adds, in explanation, ‘‘ He shall delight exceedingly in his. commandments ;” that is to, say, blessed is he who fears the Lord, and through, such fear takes the greatest delight in fulfilling his commandments, for “‘ to delight exceedingly in his commandments,” means, nothing more than to love them exceedingly, to feel an attachment to them, and to find a pleasure in obserying them, Ina word, happy is he who has a holy interior fear of God, with an exterior readiness to obey his commandments, and is, thus, truly just and pious,

2 “His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the genera-

tion of the righteous shall be blessed,”

_A numerous offspring will be the first blessing of him, that, fears God; ‘‘ His. seed shall be mighty upon earth;” his posterity will be most. numerous, because “the generation of the righteous shall be blessed,” that is, all his posterity will be most numerous and fruitful, by reason of the divine blessing, Blessing, in

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.

the Old Testament, implies fecundity. The first blessing will not be perpetual, but it will frequently follow,; for we know that Abraham and his son dsaac, and many others, were a long time without being blessed with children. But if the Psalm be understood of good works, springing from the seed of heavenly, grace, the blessing will be perpetual, for no truly just and pious person, that constantly sows the seed of good works, can be deprived of the great fruit that, in due time, is sure’to spring from them. 3 “ Glory and wealth shall be in his house: and his justice remaineth for ever and ever.”

The second blessing, or happiness, is. an abun-- dance of honour and wealth, which, however, do not lead to sin or lessen one’s sanctity. Often it happens that riches and honours either beget pride or become the instruments of gratifying one’s carnal pleasures, aud then, instead of proving a blessing, they become a positive calamity. He, therefore, says, “* Glory and wealth in his house; the just man will be blessed not only with a multitude of children, but also with riches and honours, to share with them; but he will also (which is the most important point of all) have his mind quite uncorrupted by such blessings, for ‘‘ his justice remaineth Jor ever and ever.” This blessing, also, is not constant when there is question of the glory and the riches of this world; but if it be understood of interior glory, and the testimony of a good conscience, and the riches of faith, and that gain of which the Apostle speaks when he says, ‘* But piety with suf= Jiciency ts great gain;” that is, piety disembarrassed of solicitude about the things of this world when the soul is content with its position in life, then-the happiness, or blessing, becomes perpetual; for it is the soul, and not the coffers, that ought to be rich. The soul is rich, indeed, when, satisfied with the necessaries of life, it bas no further aspirations, resting quite content, asthe Apostle has it, with a sufficiency, which, in another Epistle, he explains when he says, “ Mor I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content therewith; I know both how to be brought low and how to abound.”

4 “To the righteous a light is risen up in darkness: he is merciful, and compassionate and just.”

The third: blessing enjoyed by those who fear God is the light, of prudence and counsel that shines from heaven on them in their difficulties, as also in enabling them to see throngh the frauds of their false brethren, and, with that, to support them in the trials and troubles of life. “Zo the raghteous a light is risen, up in darkness.” The righteous, then, who fear God, have got the light of counsel and consolation, in the. darkness of their troubles and tribulations, that light being God himself, who is ‘¢ mere?- Sul, compassionate, and just; who deals mercifully with the merciful, because it is but, just that the mer= ciful should:meet with merey.

5 “Acceptable is the man that sheweth mercy and lendeth: he shall order his words with jurtgment :

6 “‘ Because he shall not be moved for ever.”

Blessing the fourth consists in that spiritual joy that resides in the heart of those that fear God. They who fear God easily pardon any offence, because they make allowance for, ‘t and shew mercy to,” human weakuess; they also readily lend to those who need it, and thus comply with that precept of the Lord’s, “ Forgive, and you shall be forgiven; give, and it shall be given unto you.” Such good works are productive of the greatest joy; while, on the contrary, they who refuse to forgive, or they who will not confer'a favour on a neighbour, have their temper always soured by reason of their conscience reproving them, or because they think they are disliked. Blessing the fifth consists in prudence in one’s speech, which enables one to steer clear of the emo troubles in this life, such as enmities, quarrels, detractions, and the like; for hte that fears God ‘ orders We words in judgment ;? makes use of language so matured by his good judgment as to give offence to nobody, and from it derives immense good. And he assigns a reason for his so. ‘‘ ordering his words in judgment’ when he says, ** Because he shall not be moved for ever ;” because he is constant and steady in what he proposes to himself, prudently looking out for all possible contingencies, so that, happen: what may, he “ cannot be moved for ever.”

7“ The just shall be in everlasting remembrance : he

shall not fear the evil hearing. His heart is ready to hope:

The sixth happiness of the person fearing God is, that he will always live in the memory of man, not by reason of his crimes, as do Judas and Cain, Herod and Pilate, Annas and Caiphas ; his memory will be a glorious one, ‘‘ and all the church of the saints shall declare” his praises; and not only that, but he will be “zn everlasting remembrance” among men; and his name, too, will be written in.the book of life, never to be blotted out, and tlius really and truly he will be ‘ in everlasting remembrance”. with the Angels in heaven. ‘‘ He shall not fear the evil hearing ;’? he will not fear the detractions and reproofs of tbe wicked, nor will he fear that frightful sentence of the eternal Judge, ‘‘ Go ye cursed into everlasting fire.’ —“ His heart is ready to hope in the Lord.” This is the seventh blessing of the soul that feareth God; a firm and fixed reliance on the divine protection, through which it fears no evil. “* His heart is ready to hope in the Lord.” That is, in every adversity, in every imminent danger, his heart is ready to take refuge in God, because he is always prepared and ready to hope in God, never loses sight of God’s assistance, never distrusts him, never hesitates in putting faith in him.

8 “ His heart is strengthened, he shall not be moved ,

until he look over his enemies.’

BK

His heart is strengthened in such confidence, so that there is no danger of his failing in it. “He shall not be moved until he look over his enemies.” He never will bave the slightest fear of any impending danger from his enemies, and, of course, much less when he shall look down upon them prostrate and vanquished.

9 “He hath distributed, he hath given to the poor : his

Justice remaineth for ever and-ever: his horn shall be exalted in glory.”

Blessing the eighth consists in making good use of riches, for it is through God’s grace that God’s friends learn the wisdom of transferring their treasures, by means of alms, toyheaven, where ‘netther the rust nor the moth doth consume, and where thieves do not dig through nor steal.” —“ He hath distributed, he hath given to the poor.” The man who fears God has net shut up Lis wealth, nor sougbt to increase it, but scattered it among the poor; that is to say, gave it away abundantly, but with such prudence as to give a little to. a great many, rather than a great deal to a:few, thus providing the many with necessaries; and avoiding the furnishing of the few: with superfinities.. We have the like idea.in: Isaias—‘Break thy bread to the hungry;” and in Corinthians—“ And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the-poer.” We must not deny, however, that it may sometimes: be more anvisable to give a great deal to one; as, for instance, to-.give a dowry to a poor virgin, or for the building of: a church, or the redemption of a captive. The man who fears God derives two advantages from such generosity; for, if he lessened his money he increased his justi¢e ; and ‘ that justice”—that is, his good works, ‘‘ remain for ever and ever,” to be kept in store for him by God, from whom he will, in the fitting time, receive his full reward, for‘ He that hath mercy on the poor lendeth to the Lord.” Then, “* His horn shall be exalted wn glory ;” that is, he will have his reward, not-only in the world to come, but even in this world he.will have an increa’e of power and glory, signified in the Scriptures by his horn ; and one’s horn is,said to be exalted when he becomes stronger and more powerful; and to ba exalted in glory” means for one to become not only strong and powerful, but also full of glory, such. as those great men of rank and celebrity to whom all defer. This verse , then, gives us to understand that alms, instead of injuring or lessening any one in their means, only tends to increase their riches, power, aud glory, many examples of which are to be found in the Scriptures, especially in Job and Tobias,

10 “The wicked shall see, and shall be angry: he shall gnash with his teeth, and pine away: the desire af the wicked shall perish, %

The last blessing is, that the person fearing God will overcome all envy. ‘The wicked shall sce” the good works of God’s servant, and his happiness, while “the wicked shall see,” thatista say, shall veflues on the good works of the just, and their happiness, and will

be tormented with envy, and ‘‘ shall be angry” at their luck, ‘and like a mad dog he shall gnash his teeth and pine away” in grief; but, meanwhile, “ the desire of the wicked,” in looking for the destruction of the just, will not be granted, but with the wicked himself shall speedily “‘ perish.” Blessed and happy, then, is he that feareth the Lord, wretched and miserable is he who does not.

PSALM CXII. God is to be praised, for his regard to the poor and humble.

1 Praise the Lord, ye children: praise ye the name of the Lord.

2 Blessed be the name of the Lord, from henceforth now and for ever.

3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is worthy of praise.

4 The Lordis high above all nations: and his glory above the heavens.

5 Who isas the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,

6 And looketh down on the low things in heaven and in earth?

7 Raising up the needy from the earth, and lifting up the poor out of the dunghill:

8 That he may place him with princes, with the princes of his people.

9 Who maketh a barren woman to dwell in a house, the joyful mother of children,

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALM.

1 “Praise the Lord, ye children: praise ye the name of the Lord.”

Children, here, represent the servants of the Lord who worship him in all sincerity. That is clear from the Hebrew for children. Children and servants, however, are so clearly allied that the term may be applied indiscriminately to both, for servants should be as obedient to their masters as children are to their parents. Hence, St. Paul says, “As long as the heir is a child he differeth nothing from a servant.’ We are, therefore, reminded by the term “‘ children,” that we should be the pure and simple servants of God, and be directed by his will, without raising any question whatever about it. “Praise the Lord, ye children; praise ye the name of the Lord.” Let it be your principal study, all you who claim to be servants of God, to reflect with a pure mind on the greatness of your Lord, and with all the affections of your heart to praise his infinite name. A similar exhortation is to be found in Psalm cxxxiii., “* Behold now, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord;”? and in Psalm exxxiv., “ Praise ye the name of the Lord: O you his servants, praise the Lord,”

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.

2 “Blessed be the name of the Lord, from henceforth now and for ever.”

As we, creeping, wretched things, know not how to praise God as we ought, he now tells us how it should be done, and says it should be done at least with affection and desire. Say, therefore, with all the affections of your heart, “ Blessed be the name of the Lord,” “ from henceforth,” at the present time, “and for ever,” to all future generations, so that there shall never be any cessation to his praise.

3 “ From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is worthy of praise.”

In this and the following verses he explains the subject of God’s praise, which he says is to be found every where, all his works being so replete with wonders, which, on diligent reflection, redound so much praise on their wonderful Maker. ‘* Mrom the rising of the sun to the going down of the same ;” throughout the whole world, from one end of it to the other, ‘ the name of the Lord is worthy of praise,” by reason of his great works that so abound throughout the world.

4 “ The Lord is high above all nations: and his glory above the heavens.”

Matter for God’s praise is to be found not only through the length and breadth, but even through the height of the world; for, though there may be many great kings and powerful princes therein, God far out-tops them all, and he lords it over, not only “all the nations,” but even over all the Angels, for “his glory is above the heavens,” and all who dwell therein.

a “Who ts as the Lord our God, who dwelleth or hi

“6 “And looketh down on the low things in heaven and in earth?” at

He now praises God by reason of his wonderful kindness, which, when looked at in conjunction with such sublimity, appears the more extraordinary. “ Who is as the Lord our God who dwelleth on high,” in the highest heavens, and still ‘Zooketh down on the low things; on man who dwells on the earth, The words, *‘ in heaven,” according to the Hebrew, should be referred to the first verse. We are here instructed that God, by reason of his excellence, has every thing subject to him; and yet, such is his goodness, that he looks after, and attends to the minutest matters, things, and persons, and especially to the meek and humble of heart.

7 “‘Ratsing up the needy from the earth, and lifting up the poor out of the dunghill:

8 “ That he may place him with princes, with the princes of his people.” ‘

He explains why God “ looks down” on the humble, and says it is to exalt them; and though this is most applicable to individuals raised by God from the lowest to the highest position, such as Joseph, Moses, David, and others, it is also most true of the whole human race, that is, of the little flock of the

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.

elect, to whom our Saviour said, “ Fear not, little Jock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom.” Now, mankind lay prostrate on the earth, wallowing on the dunghill of original sin, and its consequent evils, and yet God, who is seated in inea- ’ ven, looked down on the earth, and raised up the needy, that is, the man despoiled by the robbers, who was lying on the dunghill of misery, to “‘ place him with princes;” not in the general acceptation of the word; but with “ the princes of his people,” the possessors of the heavenly Jerusalem, the citizens of the kingdom of heaven. The being raised from the poverty of this world to an abundance of its riches, however great and desirable it may appear in our eyes, is in reality a thing of no value, such things being perishable, given to us merely to make good use of them, and bringing great obligations with them, which, if not properly discharged, will, on the day of judgment, bring down great trouble and affliction of spirit on those who got them. But the elevation from a state of sin and death to that of glory and immortality, to an equality with the Angels, to a share in that happiness that forms a part of God’s own happiness, that, indeed, is the true, the truly great, and the most to be sought for elevation.

9 ‘‘Who maketh a barren woman to dwell in a house, the joyful mother of children.”

With mankind a low and contemptible position is considered a misfortune, while barrenness is looked upon in the same light by womankind; but, as God looks down on the humble man so as to raise him from the lowest to the highest position, he also looks down on the humble woman, thereby changing her barrenness into fertility. This is quite applicable to several females, such as Sara, Rebecca, Rachel, Anne, and others; but it applies, in a higher seiise, to the Church gathered from the gentiles, that remained barren a long time, but ultimately begot many children, as the Apostle has it, ‘ Rejoice, thou barren, that bearest not; break forth and cry out, thou that travailest not: for many are the children of the desolate, snore than that of her that hath a husband.”

PSALM OXIII.

God hath shewn his power in delivering his people : idols are vain. The Hebrews divide this into two psalms.

1 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarous people:

2 Judea was made his sanctuary, Israel his dominion.

3 The sea saw, and fled: Jordan was turned back.

4 The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like the lambs of the flock,

5 What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou

didst flee: and thou, O Jordan, that thou wast turned back?

6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams, and ye hills, like lambs of the flock?

7 At the presence of the Lord the earth was moved, at the presence of the God of Jacob:

8 Who turned the rock into pools of water, and the stony hill into fountains of waters.

9 Not to us, O Lord, not to us; but to thy name give glory.

10 For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake: lest the gentiles should say: Where is their God?

11 But our God is in heaven: he hath done all things whatsoever he would.

12 The idols of the gentiles are silver and gold, the works of the hands of men.

13 They have mouths, and speak not: they have eyes, and see not:

14 They have ears, and hear not: they have noses, and smell not:

15 They have hands, and feel not: they have feet, and walk not; neither shall they cry out through their throat:

16 Let them that make them become like unto them, and all such as trust in them.

17 The house of Israel hath hoped in the Lord: he is their helper and their protector.

18 The house of Aaron hath hoped in the Lord: he is their helper and their protector.

19 They that fear the Lord have hoped in the Lord: he is their helper and their protector.

20 The Lord hath been mindful of us, and hath blessed us. He hath blessed the house of Israel: he hath blessed the house of Aaron.

21 He hath blessed all that fear the Lord, both little and great.

22 May the Lord add blessings upon you; upon you, and upon your children.

23 Blessed be you of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

24 The heaven of heaven is the Lord’s: but the earth he has given to the children of men.

25 The dead shall not praise thee, O Lord; nor any of them that go down to hell.

26 But we that live bless the Lord, from this time now and for ever.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALM.

1 “When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob Srom a barbarous people :”

He begins the Psalm by telling how it was that the Jews, on their departure from Egypt, began to assume the form of a people peculiarly subject to God, and governed by his special providence, as if he were their king alone. Before they went to Egypt, they were a family, not a people, but during their sojourn in Egypt they multiplied greatly, but were still mixed up with the Egyptians, to whose king they were subject; but, on their departure from Egypt, they began to assume the form of a state of their own, Moses, as being God’s vicegerent and representative, baving supreme authority ; and that is what he alludes to when he says, ‘‘ When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob, from a barbarous people.” Israel means here the people of Israel, who were descended of him, the house of Jacob being only a repetition of the same. The ‘barbarous people” are the Egyptians, who spoke a strange language; and such are called barbarous, according to the Apostle, “Lf, then, I know not the power of the voice I shall be to him to whom I speak a barbarian, and he that speaketh a barbarian to me.’ The Egyptians, then, are called a barbarous people by reason of their using a different language from that of the Jews. his sanctuary.” It was upon the departure of the Jews from Egypt that God sanctified the Jews, or chose them to be his own people. ‘‘Jsrael his do» minion.” The same idea in different language ; that is, he assumed special care of and dominion over the children of Israel. By Judea we are not to understand the country, but its people; for it is Juda in Hebrew, and it is not unusual in the Scripture to call the Jews sometimes the children of Juda, at other times the children of Israel. Hence the names Jews and Israelites.

COMMENTARY

2 “Judea was made his sanctuary, Israel his dominion.

8 “ The sea sau, and fled: Jordan was turned back.

4 ‘The mountains skipped like rams, and the hills ike: the lambs of the flock.”

He now recounts the wonderful things that happened on the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt, as also during their stay in the desert, as well as on their entry into the land of promise, in order to prove thereby that their God was the true and allpowerful God, whom they should justly fear and worship; and he relates the first miraclé, when the sea, at God’s word, was divided, in order to let the people pass, as we read in Numbers, but which he relates here in a most beautiful and: figurative manner, addressing it as if it had sense, and giving us to understand that it drew back of itself from fear and reverence, on beholding the majesty of the Lord, With it he unites another miracle, though it happened forty years later, as belonging to the same element—the division of the waters of the river Jordan, to admit of the people passing over dry, as, we read in Josue iy. He then alludes to the miracles

ON THE PSALMS.

that happened on land when they got the law, when God descended on Mount Sinai; for then the earth was moved, and, struck with terror before God’s majesty, seemed, as it were, to dance and to shake, as we read in Exodus, ‘* All the Mount was terrible;” the meaning of which is, that such was the tremor in the mountain that it made them all terrible. He finally alludes to another miracle, the production of water in great abundance from the

rock. But, to come to particulars, ‘ The sea saw and fled.” The Red Sea, frightened, as it were, at

the sight of the Lord, retired from its natural bed and fled. ‘‘ Jordan was turned back.” In the book of Josue it is stated that ‘* the waters that came down from above stood in one place, and, swelling up like a mountain, were seen afar off ;’? but David gives us to understand that the-water was not only raised up but that it was turned back, which is most probable, as the time necessary for many hundred thousand persons to pass over must have been not inconsiderable. If the water, then, did not recede as well as stand up, ivstead of being like a mountain, it would have been like something much more enormous. It did both, then; it stood up, and it flowed back as David sings, in order to admit a dry passage for the Israelites. ‘¢ Zhe mountains skipped like rams, and the hills like lambs of the Jlock.” The mounds of Sinai, that is, its highest points, and the hills of the same mountains, its lower

‘protuberances, were seen to leap, shake, and trem-

ble, like so many frighted sheep and lambs; and, though the word skipping would seem to imply that it proceeded from joy, yet, here it must be interpreted as from fear, because if was on the same ac~ count that the mountains skipped as the sea fled; and,-in a few verses after, we have, ‘“ At the presence of the Lord the earth was moved; which words imply terror, and go to explain this passage.

5 “What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou didst flee ; and thou, O Jordan, that thou wast turned back ?.

_ 6 “Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams, and ye hills, like lambs of the flock ?

7 “At the presence of the Lord the earth was moved, at the presence of the Gou of Jacob:

8 “Who turned the rock into pools of water, and the stony hill into fountains of waters.”

In quite a poetic: strain he asks the sea why it fled, the Jordan why it turned back, and the hills and mountains why they trembled; and answers that it was caused by the power of the presence of God, who not only commanded the sea and the river, but, what is much more wonderful, changed one element. . to another, as he did when he turned the hard and solid rock into purling streams of the purest water. All this was caused “at the presence of the Lord;” in other words, because the Lord shewed himself, manifested his might and power; and, at once, the whole earth, unable to stand his sight, ‘was moved,” trembled all over, That same Lord, “ who turned the rock into pools of water,” as he did when the

COMMENTARY ON

people clamoured, for it, ‘and the stony hill,” to shew it was no ordinary rock, but a hard, gritty, flinty one that so supplied the water.

9 “Not to us, O Lord, not to us; but to thy name give glory.”

Having recorded the wonderful things that God did for his people on their departure from Egypt, he now, in the name of the whole people, prays to him not to regard their shortcomings, but his own glory, and to continue to protect his servants. ‘“* Not to us, O Lord, not to us.” We ask not for praise or glory on our own merits, which are none}; ‘* but to thy name give glory ;” protect us for the glory of your name, and not for our own merits,

10 ‘‘For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake : lest the gentiles should say: Where is their God ?”

He, in a very short space, assigns three reasons why God ought to seek the glory of his name in preserving his people, First, because he is merciful; secondly, because he is true and faithful in observing his promise; thirdly, that the gentiles, seeing God’s people ina state of destitution, may have no cause for Bisapaowseg him and them. fore, says, “for thy mercy and for thy truths sake,” shew your glory, or give glory to thy name, for it is then your glory will be exhibited when you shew mercy to your people; aud then you will have: carried out the truth of the promises you made our fathers, ‘ Lest the gentiles should say: Where is their God 2” lest the incredulous gentiles should get an occasion of detracting from your power, and, perhaps, of ignoring your very existence.

11 “But our God ts.in heaven: he, hath done all things whatsoever he would.

12 ‘ The idols of the gentiles are siiver and gold, the works of the hands of men.

13 “They have mouths, and speak not : they have eyes, and see not:

14 “ They have ears, and hear not: and smell not:

15 “They have hands, and feel not: they have.feet, and walk not ; neither shall they cry out throughtheir throat :”

they have noses,

He now, on account ofthis having said, “ Lest. the gentiles should say: Where is their. God?” gives expression to a most beautiful antithesis between the true and false gods; as much as.to say, The gentiles should get no oppor tunity of| reproaching us; but, if they should do. so, saying, ‘‘ Where is, their, "Gods 2? we will answer, “ Our God is. in heaven;” and the. wonderful things be has done bear testimony to. it; for “he hath done ~ll things whatsoever he wished; ” while, on the contrary, their gods are on-the earth ;

and thus hitherto are so unable to do any. thing that-

they cannot even make use of the members they appear to be endowed with; for, though they have the shape and figure of man, and appear to have all his members. and senses, they neither.see, nor hear, nor smell, nor touch, nor walk, nor speak ; emit any thing i in the shape of the voice of man, nor even of: beasts.

they do not.

16 ‘ Let them that make them become like unto them, and all such as trust in them.”

THE PSALMS.

This is a prophecy in the shape of an imprecation, as is usual with the prophets; for the makers of, and. the worshippers of idols, will actually become similar to the idols after the resurrection; for, though they will be possessed of feeling and members, the case will be with them as if they had none; they will even desire to have none; for they will see, hear, smell, touch nothing but what will be hateful and disagreeable; and, with their hands and feet. tied, they will be cast into exterior darkness, without being able in any way to help themselves. Even in this life they are like idols, because, though they hear and see, it is more in appearance than reality ; for they neither see nor hear the things that pertain to salvation, the things that only are worth seeing, so that they may be said more to dream than to see or hear; as St. Mark has it, “‘ Having eyes ye see not, having ears ye hear not.”

19 “The house of Israel hath hoped in the Lord:: he is their helper and their protector.

20 ‘* The house of Aaron hath hoped in the Lord: he is their helper and their protector.

21 “Theythat fear the Lord have hoped in the Lord: he is their helper and their protector.”

Having said, Let them that make them become like ** unto them, and all such as trust in them,” he adds, by way of antithesis, that the children of Israel trusted in the Lord, and that they had. him, therefore, asa protector, naming the house of Israel first, which includes the whole Jewish nation ; then the house of Aaron, which. means the: priests and Levites, the elite of God’s people, and who. should, therefore, have special trust: in God ; and, finally, all those that fear the Lord; for at all times there were pious: souls, however few they may, have been, not belonging to the children of Israel, who feared and worshipped God. in all sincerity; such were Job and his friends, and afterwards Naaman, the Syrian, and others.

22 “The Lord hath been mindful of us, and hath blessed us. He hath blessed the house of Isr ael: he hath blessed the house of Aaron.

23 ‘He hath blessed all that fear the Lord, both litle and great.”

He now confirms what he had asserted, viz., that God would be the helper and the protector of those that trast in him, He ranks himself among the number as having got special help and protection from God. He then, in the same order, confirms his assertions of God having blessed the house of Israel, the house of Aaron, and all who fear him, great or small, without any reference to greatness or littleness, whether of age, powcr, wisdom, orriches, When God is said to be “ mindful,” it means that he regards with a singular providence; ** and blessed us,” by assisting and protecting us—“ ws” meaning the house of Israel, the house of Aaron, and all that fear him.

14 ‘‘ May the Lord add blessings upon you ; upon you, and upon your children.

15 ‘ Blessed be you of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

“ Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh,” as we read in Luke vi.; and as the heart of the holy prophet was burning with desire for the glory of God and the salvation of his neighbour, he turns over the same subject, prophesying at one time, then exhorting, and then by praying all manner of happiness on mankind, in the hope of bringing them to have a holy fear of God, and to repose all their hope in him. Turning, then, to those who fear God, whose blessing he had assured them of, he says to them, “ May the Lord add blessings upon you,” and not only on you, but “upon your children.” And thus may you be blessed with a full and entire benediction from the Lord, “‘ who made heaven and earth ;” that is, by him in whose hand is the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth. The saints of the Old Testament were very much in the habit of praying to the Lord for the dews of heaven and the fatness of the earth for their people ; for all the fruits of the earth depend on them. In a more spiritual meaning, God blesses with the dews of heaven and the fatness of the earth those to whom he gives spiritual and temporal blessings in abundance ; as he did to Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, and David, and such others.

16 ‘The heaven of heaven is the Lord's : but the earth he hath given to the children of men.

17 “* The dead shall not praise thee, O Lord ; nor any of them that go down to hell.

18 ** But we that live bless the Lord, from this time now and for ever.” :

These three verses may be differently interpreted, applying them to the Jews under the Old Testament, or to the Christians in the New. If we apply them to the Jews, the meaning is, Having said, “ Blessed be you of the Lord, who made heaven and earth,” he now asserts that it is only fair that they who have been blessed by the Lord should, in return, bless him while they live upon this earth, which he gave them for a habitation, leaving to the Angels the duty of blessing him in heaven, that being his habitation and that of his servants who minister unto him. “ The heaven of heavens is the Lord’s ;” that is, the supreme heaven belongs peculiarly to God and to the Angels who minister unto him; “but the earth,” with the elements that surround it, “he has given to the children of men” for their habitation, and for such a splendid portion of the universe man should constantly return thanks to God as long as they live and enjoy the fruits of that earth. Because “ the dead shall not praise thee, O Lord ;” for the dead,

being devoid of sense, and no longer in possession of the goods of this world, and being even bereft of life, cannot praise God or return him thanks for his benefits. ‘Nor any of them that go down into hell.” Not only will the dead lying in their sepulchres not

COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS.

praise the Lord, but also “they that go down to hell ;” the spirits who have gone down to the infernal regions ; they, too, will not praise God for temporal blessings they cannot now possibly enjoy. ‘‘ But we that live,” and are in the enjoyment of such blessings, ‘bless the Lord from this time now and for ever,” through all succeeding ages. Applying the passage to the Christians under the New Testament, we are to bear in mind that “ the heaven of heaven” means that supreme part of heaven where the children of God reside; of which the Apostle says, ‘* Yor we know that tf our earthly house of this habitation be dissolved, that we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in heaven; that house God chose for himself, “‘ but the earth,” this visible world, ‘‘he has given to the children of men,” as distinguished from the children of God; and, therefore, he adds, ‘* The dead shall not praise thee, O Lord;” that is, they who, though living bodily, are spiritually dead, they will not praise you; “ nor any of them that go down to hell;’ who have died in their sins, and have gone to eternal punishment ; “‘ but we that live” the life of grace, adhering to thee through faith and charity, citizens of our neavenly country, though we are detained here for awhile below upon earth, we, I repeat, ‘* bless the Lord,” and we “‘ bless him for ever.”

PSALM CXIY. The prayer of a just manin affliction, with a lively con- Jidence in God.

1 I have loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.

2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me: and in my days I will call upon him.

3 The sorrows of death have compassed me: and the perils of hell have found me. I met with trouble and sorrow:

4 And JI called upon the name of the Lord. O Lord, deliver my soul.

5 The Lord is merciful and just, and our God sheweth mercy.

6 The Lord is the keeper of the little ones: I was humbled, and he delivered me.

7 Turn, O my soul, into thy rest: for the Lord hath been bountiful to thee.

8 For he hath delivered my soul from death; my eyes from tears; my feet from falling.

Y I will please the Lord in the land of the living.

EXPLANATION OF THE PSALM.

1 “ Thave loved, because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer.”

His soul burning with desire for the Lord, abso.

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lutely says, “ J have loved,” and does not say whom, taking it for granted that all others are equally in love with one so deserving of love, and, therefore, that they know whom he means. In like manner, when Mary Magdalen, at the sepulchre, was asked, ““Whom seekest thou?’ she answered, ‘ Sir, if thou hast taken him away, tell me,” without saying for whom she was looking, or for whom she was weeping, supposing that every one shared in her love as well as in her sorrow, and knew the object of both. And, in fact, when we allseek for happiness, which, without any sprinkling of evil, we can find in God alone, as St. John intimates, when he says, “God zs light, and in him there is no darkness ;’ man should absolutely love God alone, and when they hear the expression, ‘* F have loved,” they ought to understand it as applying to the love of the supreme good alone. David, however, from the reasons he assigns, leaves it pretty clear that, when he said, ‘I have loved,” he meant God only; for he adds, ‘“‘because the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer ;” that is, I have loved the Lord, because he is kind and merciful, and from his natural kindness will hear the voice of my prayer.

What reasons have we not for loving him, when the Supreme Being, who wants nothing from us, is so ready to hear the prayers of his vilest servants, so that we can safely assure ourselves of being heard ? This is expressed more clearly in Psalm Ixxxv., where he says, ‘‘ Mor thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild, and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thee.” The meaning, then, is, I have loved the Lord, because I am certain that he will hear the voice of my prayer.

2 ** Because he hath inclined his ear unto me: and in my days I will call upon him,”

He now tells us how he learned that God would hear his prayer. I know it thus, because himself inspired me, invited me, when ‘he inclined his ear unto me;” for, why incline his ear unless he were prepared to hear me? Now, God inclines his ear to us when he inspires us with a desire for prayer, for we would not pray at all were not God, by his previous grace, good enough to give us a desire for prayer. David, then, accustomed to such internal calls, and feeling himself internally inspired with a desire for prayer, understood that God’s ear was inclined to him, and he, therefore, also adds, “ and in my days I will call upon him ;” that is, while the days of grace are shining on me, while J have light to see God’s ear inclined to me, I will not let the opportunity pass, but I will call upon the Lord. He calls the days in which he got the light of previous grace, ‘ my days ;” for when the light of grace departs, the day is succeeded by the night, that night “in which no man can work.”

3 “ The sorrows of death have compassed me: and the perils of hell have found me. I met with trouble and SOTTOW : . .

4 “ And I called upon the name of the Lord. O Lord, deliver my soul.”

He now tells us on what his prayers turned; on the dangers and temptations in regard of his eternal salvation, the only subject worth the notice of a soul that truly loves God. In Psalm xvii., we find similar expressions, which evidently apply to the temporal difficulties that then surrounded David, so that we are forced here to apply them to his spiritual troubles. When he says, then ‘‘ Zhe sorrows of death have compassed me,” he means, I am tormented with such dreadful temptations that I am compelled to cry out with the Apostle, ‘Who shall deliver me Srom the body of this death?” He explains it more fully, when he adds, “ Zhe perils of hell have found me,” for it is through fear of that peril the greatest of all perils, that those near death conceive the greatest fear and alarm. Jn the Hebrew the expression is, “‘ The narrow ways of hell,” giving us the idea of one walking on the edge of a precipice, in danger every moment of falling, and of being dashed to pieces, unless they tread with the greatest care and caution; and such is the way of salvation, difficult and narrow, so that they who walk without extreme caution run every risk of being precipitated into hell. Hence the Apostle warns us, ‘‘ See, therefore, brethren, how you walk circumspectly.”—“ I met with trouble and sorrow.” Many persons, engrossed by the prosperity of this world, are compassed.by the snares of death, and the perils of hell, without pereiving it; and the more they are compassed by such perils, the less they reflect on them, and thus they are insensible to fear or trouble. David reflected on them, and his reflections brought him to know where he was; and, therefore, in fear and trembling he declares, “J met with trouble and sorrow,” while the world, and its pleasures, and enjoyments were smiling on me, I perceived that I: was compassed by the chains and sorrows of death, and that I was exposed to the perils of the pit; and, therefore, in my grief and sorrow “J called upon the name of the Lord ;” and I said, ‘“O Lord deliver my soul” from the pains of death, and the dangers of bell.

5 “The Lord is merciful and just, and our God: sheweth mercy.”

To shew what good hope he had in God, he assigns a reason for having had such hope, because “ The Lord is merciful and just, and our God. sheweth mercy ;” the Lord is merciful, because he goes before sinners, and inspires them with the idea of penance and prayer, “ Mor he first loved ys,” as the Apostle says. He is also just, for he lets no one go unchastised, as St. Paul says, “‘ He scourgeth every son whom he receiveth,” and he pardons those who do not pardon themselves, and not only forgives their sins, but makes them his heirs.

6 '* The Lord is the keeper of little ones : I was hum bled, and he delivered me.’

God, as was stated awhile ago, isa God of mercy, but especially to little ones that fear him, which is more clearly expressed in Psalm cii., where hesays, “ For according to the height of the heaven above the earth: he hath strengthened his mercy toward them that fear him. As a father hath compassion on his children, so hath the Lord on them that fear him.” We have the same in the canticle of the virgin, “& And his mercy is from generation to generation to them that fear him;” and as the last-words of the previous verse, “our God sheweth merey,” which mercy, according to the Hebrew, is that of a father, he now tells us to whom such mercy is extended, and says it is to the little ones, the meek, and the humble, who have a filial fear of God. ‘ The Lord as the keeper of little ones.” The Lord in his fatherly mercy protects his little ones, as he would so many tender children, for whom he had prepared an everlasting inheritance. And as David, through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, knew himself to be one of them, he adds, ‘‘ J was humbled;’ I endeavoured to be a little one, and ‘‘ he delivered me,” or rather, he will deliver me, as it is in the Hebrew.

7“ Turn, O my soul, into thy rest : for the Lord hath been bountiful to thee,”

The just man, so delivered, now congratulates himself on the acquirement of such a blessing. “ Turn, O my soul, into thy rest.” Hasten on the wings of desire to the place of true and everlasting rest, to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the real Abraham’s, posom, * for the Lord hath been bountiful to thee.”

8 ‘‘ For he hath delivered my soul from death ; my eyes from tears ; my feet from falling.”

He now explains the extent of the bounty spoken of in the preceding verse; deliverance from death and life everlasting, ‘My eyes from tears,” a life subject to no trouble, with all blessings in abundance; “ For God wiped away all tears from thew eyes; and, finally, ‘‘ my feet from falliny ;” that is, he will give me not only a happy life, but even a secure and everlasting one, from which I can never fall, He will thus deliver me from the sorrows of death, and the perils of the pit, and place me in the security and eternity of a most happy life.

9 ‘* Twill please the Lord i the land of the living,”

He concludes the Psalm by saying, that as he is to enjoy, in security, a life of the best and sweetest sort, a thing that will be very pleasing to him, he will do all in his power to please the Lord “ in the land of the living,” where all enjoy life to the fullest extent, and thus please the living God in all possible ways and manners; for while we are in this pilgrimage many are dead, and they who live, live according to the spirit, and not according “ to the body which is dead ;” whence he exclaims, ‘ Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Rom. vii,

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